Color: Body bluish-green tending towards gray above and yellow on belly and at sides, with about three grayish longitudinal stripes along upper half of body. A row of 16 irregular grayish blotches below the dorsal fin on the back and one blotch below base of pectoral. Dorsal fins yellow with tips and outer margin grayish. Pectoral yellow. Caudal yellow, dark along the margin and extremities. In larger specimens when fresh a few golden yellow bands present along and below lateral line and in small juveniles small round grayish dots along upper half of back.
Feeds on phytoplankton (diatoms) and small zooplankton (cladocerans, ostracods, larval polychaetes, etc.). Adult individuals feed on macroplankton such as larval shrimps and fish.

Head longer than body depth. Body laterally compressed. Snout pointed, eyes with thick adipose eyelids. Mouth large, oblique with deep cleft. Teeth small, in a single row in both jaws, but usually worn out with age. Vomer and palatine without teeth. Gill rakers numerous, long and feather-like and distinctly visible when the mouth is opened. Maxilla partly concealed, covered by lachrymal bone but extending to about hind margin of eye. First dorsal spinous and its first spine shorter than second spine. Second dorsal soft rayed. Dorsal and anal finlets five or six. Pectoral soft rayed and pelvics with one spine and five soft rays. Caudal deeply forked with pointed lobes. Interpelvic process small and single. Swim bladder present. Anal spine rudimentary. Dorsal spines (total): 8 - 11, Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 12, Anal spines: 0, Anal soft rays: 12.

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